Written Answers

Tuesday 11 July 2000

Scottish Executive

Air Accident

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Lord Advocate will take any action in the light of the article in the Scotland on Sunday on 18 June 2000 on the Chinook helicopter crash or whether he will make representations to the Ministry of Defence to take action in the light of the content of the article.

Colin Boyd QC: I asked Crown Counsel earlier this year to review the Fatal Accident Inquiry papers into this tragedy and other information published since the FAI, principally concerning the full automatic digital electronic control system (FADEC) fitted to the helicopter.

  Crown Counsel concluded that even if the new information could be substantiated in an Inquiry process, it was highly unlikely that the findings of the Sheriff at the Fatal Accident Inquiry would have been different. There was therefore no basis to seek to re-open the FAI, even if such a step is legally competent.

  The newspaper article referred to discusses whether the pilots were negligent. The purpose of a Fatal Accident Inquiry is not to attach blame but to ascertain the facts of death.

  Accordingly, I have indicated that I am not to take any further action in the matter. The Ministry of Defence are aware of my views.

Alcohol Misuse

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is undertaking to determine what services and educational approach are required in order to combat drinking among Scotland’s young people, given that 15% of primary pupils and 75% of secondary pupils drink alcohol at least once per week.

Susan Deacon: The problems associated with young people’s drinking are already well documented and the Executive attaches great importance to tackling the issue. The Scottish Advisory Committee on Alcohol Misuse is developing a comprehensive new strategy for tackling alcohol misuse in Scotland.

  Service provision, prevention and health promotion are key components of the emerging strategy and the particular needs of young people are being taken into account.

Alcohol Misuse

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote the adoption of workplace policies on alcohol by those public bodies for which it is responsible, given that 25% of accidents at work are alcohol related.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive would expect all employers, including publicly funded bodies, to adopt workplace policies on alcohol. We work closely with key national organisations to ensure good guidance is available.

  The Health Education Board for Scotland has produced a policy guide, Alcohol in the Workplace which sets out the main issues involved. In addition, the Health and Safety Executive has published a useful booklet, Don’t Mix it - A Guide for Employers and Alcohol at Work.

Caledonian MacBrayne

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the EC Directive regarding tendering of Caledonian MacBrayne services will also apply to Highlands and Islands Airports Limited services.

Sarah Boyack: EEC Regulation 3577/92 applies the principle of freedom to provide services to maritime transport within member states. This does not apply to the provision of airport infrastructure operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd.

Climate Change Levy

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7855 by Henry McLeish on 26 June 2000, whether the Scottish Utilities Forum has any function at UK level in the preparations and negotiations in relation to the application of the climate change levy.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Utilities Forum was established as a means for the Executive and the Scottish Parliament to maintain and develop contact with the utility companies in Scotland. It has no function in relation to the climate change levy, which is a UK taxation measure, and consequently reserved.

Dairy Produce

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what volume of (a) wholesale and (b) direct sales milk quota was held within the Southern Isles ring-fenced area in each year from 1995-96 to 1999-2000 inclusive; what volume of production was claimed against each of these types of quota in this area in each of these years, and whether it will explain any trends which these figures show.

Ross Finnie: The volume of milk quota and milk production held within the Southern Isles ring-fence area is shown in the following table.

  Milk Quota within the Southern Isles Ring Fence Area

  


Year 


Wholesale 


Direct Sales 



 

Quota Held 


Milk Production* 


Quota Held 


Milk Production 




1995-96 


55,779,266 


56,051,000 


1,358,238 


866,320 




1996-97 


55,781,146 


55,841,000 


1,356,358 


761,756 




1997-98 


55,848,926 


57,183,000 


1,288,578 


896,385 




1998-99 


56,314,720 


55,689,000 


822,470 


770,499 




1999-2000 


56,321,755 


N/A 


815,435 


N/A 




  * Figures supplied by Scottish Milk and adjusted for butterfat.

  It is possible for milk producers to convert direct sales quota to wholesale quota (and vice versa), either temporarily or permanently, in order to help quota match production. It is also possible for milk producers to lease non-ring-fence quota to cover production over ring-fence quota held. However, it is not possible for ring-fence milk quota to be leased to non-ring-fence producers.

  In recent years milk production in the Southern Isles has fallen which is consistent with the position in other parts of south-west Scotland. This was partly due to the wet summers in 1998 and 1999 resulting in a reduction in the outdoor grazing period and lower milk yields from grass. The depressed milk prices over the last two years have reduced the incentive for producers to meet quota allowances by feeding elevated levels of purchased concentrates to supplement home-produced grass and fodder. Some producers have ceased milk production and others have expanded to benefit from economies of scale but overall cow numbers are down slightly.

Deaf People

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers of sign language there are in Scotland.

Mr Sam Galbraith: At September 1998, there were an estimated 164 full-time equivalent teachers who had a hearing impairment teaching qualification in publicly funded schools in Scotland.

Deaf People

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3149 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 11 February 2000, how much it costs to train each teacher and interpreter for deaf people.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The cost of the Diploma in Deaf Education, the teaching qualification, is £1,400. The British Sign Language course for interpreters costs £3,400.

Deaf People

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further  to the answer to question S1W-3149 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 11 February 2000, how long the course which leads to a hearing impairment teaching qualification lasts.

Mr Sam Galbraith: Students for the Diploma in Deaf Education are required to undertake eight modules. The course is likely to take a minimum of two years, and must be completed within five years.

Deaf People

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered deaf people there are in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland.

Iain Gray: Records of the number of deaf people in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland are not held by the Scottish Executive and there is no requirement for deaf people to be registered. Local authorities are required to assess the needs of people who are deaf and provide them with services and may hold information on the number of people known to be deaf.

  The Royal National Institute for Deaf People will be able to provide information on the numbers of deaf people in Scotland. The organisation’s address is 19-23 Featherstone Street, London, EC1Y 8SL (tel no: 020 7296 8000), (e-mail www.rnid.org.uk).

Fisheries

Rhoda Grant (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address the serious decline in wild salmon and sea trout numbers in the west of Scotland whilst recognising the importance of a sustainable salmon aquaculture.

Mr John Home Robertson: I am launching today, a report by the Tripartite Working Group Wild and Farmed Salmonids - Ensuring a Better Future produced jointly by the Scottish Executive, representatives from the salmonid farming and wild salmonids fisheries.

  The report, incorporating a Concordat signed by all parties, addresses issues at the interface between wild salmonid and aquaculture interests and promotes a framework for solving local management problems at a local level. I very much welcome the Concordat and the endorsement it provides for issues to be addressed through local Area Management Agreements, two of which are already in place. This will require greater openness, development of trust and mutual support. I firmly believe that this is the best way forward for all concerned.

  Copies of the Concordat and report have been placed in SPICe.

Health

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many health visitors are currently employed in Scotland and (b) how many of these are currently absent from work (i) through stress-related illnesses and (ii) for other reasons, broken down by NHS Trust

Susan Deacon: There are currently 1,698 health visiting staff employed in the NHS in Scotland. The breakdown by Trust is shown below.

  Information regarding numbers currently absent from work is not held centrally. A working group has been set up to establish a Minimum Dataset for Occupational Health and Safety in the NHS and this will report to the Scottish Partnership Forum in August. The datasets will require employers to collect a certain standard of data which will be common to all NHS organisations. One of the specified datasets will be absence from work due to occupationally acquired illness, which will include stress-related illness.

  Health Visitors employed in the NHS in Scotland by provider

  Headcount and Whole Time Equivalent: at 30 September 1999 p

  

 

Number 


WTE 




Total 


Grades G & 
above 


Below Grade G 


Total 


Grades G & 
above 


Below Grade G 




Scotland 


1,698 


1,498 


 200 


1,464.4 


1,310.6 


 153.9 




Ayrshire & Arran Primary 
Care NHS Trust 


 108 


 100 


 8 


 95.2 


 90.1 


 5.1 




Borders Primary Care NHS Trust 


 23 


 22 


 1 


 20.1 


 19.5 


 0.6 




Argyll & Clyde Acute Hospitals 
NHS Trust 


 1 


-  


 1 


 0.5 


-  


 0.5 




Lomond & Argyll Primary Care 
NHS Trust 


 33 


 30 


 3 


 27.8 


 25.7 


 2.1 




Renfrewshire & Inverclyde 
Primary Care NHS Trust 


 94 


 79 


 15 


 79.2 


 68.2 


 10.9 




Fife Primary Care NHS Trust 


 130 


 124 


 6 


 109.7 


 104.7 


 4.9 




Greater Glasgow Health Board 
Headquarters 


 3 


 3 


-  


 2.0 


 2.0 


-  




Yorkhill NHS Trust 


 8 


 8 


-  


 7.1 


 7.1 


-  




Greater Glasgow Primary Care 
NHS Trust 


 301 


 245 


 56 


 268.4 


 220.4 


 48.0 




Highland Primary Care NHS Trust 


 58 


 57 


 1 


 49.0 


 48.0 


 1.0 




Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHS 
Trust 


 1 


 1 


-  


 1.0 


 1.0 


-  




Lanarkshire Primary Care NHS 
Trust 


 200 


 174 


 26 


 173.8 


 154.7 


 19.1 




Grampian University Hospitals 
NHS Trust 


 7 


 7 


-  


 5.2 


 5.2 


-  




Grampian Primary Care NHS Trust 


 198 


 153 


 45 


 165.2 


 128.9 


 36.3 




Orkney Health Board 


 5 


 5 


-  


 5.0 


 5.0 


-  




Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust 


 202 


 194 


 8 


 168.0 


 163.4 


 4.6 




West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust 


 38 


 38 


-  


 33.3 


 33.3 


-  




Tayside University Hospitals 
NHS Trust 


 2 


 2 


-  


 2.0 


 2.0 


-  




Tayside Primary Care NHS Trust 


 135 


 125 


 10 


 121.3 


 113.8 


 7.5 




Forth Valley Acute Hospitals 
NHS Trust 


 2 


-  


 2 


 1.9 


-  


 1.9 




Forth Valley Primary Care NHS 
Trust 


 93 


 81 


 12 


 80.2 


 72.2 


 8.0 




Western Isles Health Board 


 15 


 15 


-  


 14.8 


 14.8 


-  




Dumfries & Galloway Primary 
Care NHS Trust 


 36 


 30 


 6 


 28.7 


 25.5 


 3.3 




Shetland Health Board 


 5 


 5 


-  


 5.0 


 5.0 


-  




  p provisional

  Source: National Manpower Statistics from payroll ISD Scotland.

  Notes:

  1. Includes health visiting teaching staff, and staff working in the field without a HV qualification. The category "Grades G & above" gives a broad indication of those staff with a HV qualification.

Local Government Finance

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) Grant Aided Expenditure and (b) Aggregate External Finance was allocated to Dumfries and Galloway Council in both cash and real terms in each year since 1995.

Mr Jack McConnell: Dumfries and Galloway Council’s allocations of Grant Aided Expenditure and Aggregate External Finance since 1995 are listed below, expressed both in cash and in real terms, using the September 1999 Retail Price Index.

  

 

1995-96 


1996-97 


1997-98 


1998-99 


1999-2000 


2000-01 




GAE 

 



cash 


155.321 


155.470 


155.131 


160.523 


170.482 


176.058 




At 1999 prices 


178.099 


171.578 


168.683 


167.482 


172.357 


176.058 




AEF* 

 



cash 


152.375 


151.657 


151.438 


152.309 


159.572 


163.927 




At 1999 prices 


174.721 


167.370 


163.691 


158.912 


161.327 


163.927 




  Source: prices based on RPI as at September 1999.

  AEF figures adjusted to exclude Urban Programme adjustment for years 1997-98 to 1999-2000.

Private Finance Initiative

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list any signed Private Finance Initiative or Public/Private Partnership contracts in respect of which a business case is not currently available.

Mr Jack McConnell: The policy to publish full business cases for Government Public/Private Partnerships, announced last year on 24 June in the Scottish Parliament, applies only to projects signed by Scottish Executive Departments and Agencies from that date. It is a requirement of the policy that business cases for projects with a capital value greater than £10 million are made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe). Business cases for projects with a capital value of £10 million or less are to be put on view in the office of the contracting authority. No Scottish Executive projects have reached financial close since the policy was announced.

  The NHS in Scotland has had a similar policy since May 1998 and has published full business cases for projects signed from that date. However, publication of full business cases by other bodies such as local authorities, joint police boards, water authorities and non-departmental public bodies is a matter for them. Steps are being taken to encourage them to publish.

  Seven full business cases, comprising five health and two water projects, have been placed in SPICe. A full list of Scottish PFI projects together with the date of financial close for each signed or completed project is also available in SPICe.

Public Utilities

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7855 by Henry McLeish on 26 June 2000, how many meetings of the Scottish Utilities Forum have taken place and at how many of those it has been represented.

Henry McLeish: The Scottish Utilities Forum has met twice this year, on 21 March and 27 June. The Scottish Executive has been represented at both of these meetings.

School Meals

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-2010 by Peter Peacock on 22 June 2000, whether it will review the nutritional guidelines for catering specifications for the public sector contained in the Scottish Diet Action Plan Eating for Health and targeted at pre-school and school-age children in order to prevent schools supplementing their income by installing vending machines selling soft drinks and confectionery on school premises.

Peter Peacock: No. The Scottish Diet Action Plan Eating for Health , which provides the framework for the Scottish Executive’s drive towards healthier eating, makes it clear that schools should take steps to ensure that tuck shops and vending machines provide a range of healthy food and drink choices.

  The aim is for all schools, both primary and secondary, to provide high quality food and drinks which are attractive to children and which result in consistent, nutritious, balanced meals and snacks. We are undertaking a range of measures to encourage authorities to adopt these guidelines.

Student Finance

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under the Education (Student Loans) (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (SSI 2000/200), student loans are treated as income in the hands of the borrower for the purposes of sequestration of the borrower, and whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government on whether such loans are taken into account in the calculation of benefit payments.

Henry McLeish: Student loans are not treated as income for the purposes of sequestration. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with her Majesty’s Government on a range of issues including the interface between the student support and benefits systems.